The 57 Bus

Two teens growing up in Oakland, in California, in 2013. One, Sasha, was born male but identifies as agender, wears skirts and attends a private school. The other, Richard, is an African American from a poor part of Oakland who attends a rough public school. These two teens have no reason to meet, except for eight minutes every day they catch the same bus home. And one day, messing about, Richard spies Sasha napping and flicks the flame of his lighter to Sasha's skirt. Sasha wakes up in a ball of flame, and begins to scream. What happens next, as both the teens and the community struggle to come to terms with their sadness and shock, is a story of recovery, reconciliation, forgiveness and, above all, hope. It's about bravery, the good and bad in all of us, and the power of being true to yourself. And, remarkably, it's all true.